But manager Clint Hurdle was still waiting to see Podsednik turn on his jets and race down a ball in the outfield. Saturday, in the Rockies’ 10-5 loss to Texas, Hurdle got an eyeful. In the third, Podsednik got a terrific jump on Jason Botts’ drive to right field and made a highlight- reel catch, robbing Botts of an extra-base hit.

“He went out horizontal, fully extended to the ground,” Hurdle said. “That was a big-league play.”

Podsednik, battling Cory Sullivan for a job as a reserve outfielder, doesn’t have a lot of pop in his bat, but the former White Sox regular has been able to reach base consistently.

“When you can run, keep the ball out of the air, walk, and square some balls up, that’s good,” Hurdle said. “This guy got to be a good player for a reason. . . . He’s having a good camp.”

Missed opportunities.

With the season opener just two weeks from Monday, the fourth and fifth starter spots remain wide-open, mostly because no one has reached out and grabbed the opportunity. Lefty Mark Redman blew his chance to impress Saturday, suffering a rough 4 2/3 innings. He gave up seven runs on 11 hits, and his spring ERA rose to 9.24.

“My numbers would be better if I could throw my sinker and get ahead in the strike zone,” he said. “I was missing tremendously off the plate with my sinker.”

Right-hander Josh Towers struggled, too. He entered in the sixth and promptly served up two homers before settling down with scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth.

Trade winds.

General manager Dan O’Dowd made one thing clear Saturday: He has no plans to trade infielder Clint Barmes. He wasn’t quite as definitive about talk that the club is open to moving Sullivan or reliever Ramon Ramirez.

“I think right now that’s just rumors, stuff that always comes along this time in spring,” he said. “People see that we’ve got both Cory and Podsednik, and they start speculating. We’re not moving them yet. If Ramon keeps pitching well, we’ve got ways to have Ramon on the club.”

Fowler’s future.

O’Dowd raved about the spring that center-field prospect Dexter Fowler enjoyed before being sent down to minor-league camp last week, saying Fowler “looked like he belonged at the major-league level.”

“He’s had a tremendous camp,” O’Dowd said. “He’s got to get some more strength. But that’s all it is with Dexter — experience and strength. He could close the gap this year very quickly. Anything could happen in (2009) with Dexter.”

Injury update.

Brad Hawpe’s strained left elbow is progressing enough that he might take limited batting practice today. It will be a few more days before he begins throwing.

Hawpe has been out since Monday, when he tweaked his elbow throwing from the outfield.

Matt Kata, bidding for a job as a utility infielder, has been slowed by a sore hamstring.

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